The Nexus Institute
by Jack Conners
Summary: Who is Time Drifter and why is he working for The Nexus Institute, and what is the real story behind the Ouroboros and The COming Storm. Rated Teen for a few choice words and general smart-mouthyness.


1.

Jack Conners turned his glowing red eyes to look at his friend. Minutes passed with no response to his question. Jack knew his friend was making a heavy decision, which would affect the lives of everyone he cared about. Jack had no such reservations, but then, Jack was a bit different. He turned to the man with the purple eyes and said, "You need to decide, Nexxis"

"Send him in," replied the man in charge of The Nexus Institute. He whispered quietly, "God forgive me, I've just killed my best friend"

Nexx and Jack stood on the cliff overlooking the rough Roman countryside. Cimerora spread out before them sharing the sun on one side of the island, and the encroaching darkness on the other. Ships floated in the harbor, farmers worked the hillsides, warriors trained with swords near the stadium. Jack keyed his com unit.

"Go ahead"

The message was relayed through the Operations Center and seconds later, seven hundred yards down the slope; they heard the loud battle scream of the warrior known as Time Drifter. Nexxis turned and stepped out of the Holojector and the world shimmered back to the Ops Center. The damage the crystal had suffered had halted all ability to jump through the time lines, but the Holojector allowed remote viewing and limited communication with agents still trapped in other centuries.

"You need to step back from your relationship with these people Nexx" Jack whispered, "You can not lead them from the side, only from the front."

Nexxis looked at his old 'friend' with annoyance, "I lead from the front Jack, I just don't have that callous bastard condition you seem to have contracted"

Jack smiled and nodded, understanding the younger mans fears. He had long ago learned exactly where emotions during an operation would lead. Nexxis walked over to the large monitor in front of his desk. He touched a button on his phone and listened to the report on his other agents in the field. Nexxis had roughly five agents out at a time, with a handful at the Institute on a research rotation.

The Nexus Institute was founded in 2003 just months after the Rikti Invasion. The Rikti are highly susceptible to magic, and therefore attacked a group of magic based researchers called The Midnight Squad. The Midnighters, as they are often called, are a group of scientist, researchers, historians and the like who are dedicated to the defense of the world against the occults and black magician groups. The Circle of Thorns has been their greatest enemy until their fateful meeting with the Rikti. The Midnighters always met in secret and remained in the shadows unless action was called for. The Midnighters often used KilCam Securities, owned and operated by Jack Conners, to attack or defend any given attack on Paragon City. When they were nearly wiped out, Conners used all his resources to hide and protect the Squad members that remained, dispersing them throughout the world. Jack was having a drink with his friend Nexxis when the subject of the shadowy magic group came up. Nexxis had his own connections throughout the city and surprised Jack with the depth of his knowledge about the Squad. Nexxis had an idea, just an amusement he had been toying with. A secondary Squad backed by real powers and men and women who did not hide in shadows. A powerful group of warriors: scientists and historians and intelligent fighters operating in a more aggressive fashion. Jack Conners secretly backed the thought with his own money, even naming it The Nexus Institute. Nexxis personally recruited new and unknown heroes, both normal and super-powered, to work for him. Several even took on the House Of Nexx moniker and added "Nexx" to their hero names.

In the beginning months of the Institute the Ouroboros was introduced to the Paragonians. These strange people with their endless requests for Heroes and even Villains to change events along the time streams only added to Jack and Nexxis' worries. Nexxis made the decision to "acquire" one of the Ouroboros Crystals, which allowed time travel. One of his protégé's, Temok, slipped in and found one apparently unguarded. So he claims. Temok never did enjoy telling the truth, the whole truth, etc. Now tasked with monitoring and protecting time as well as protecting the Midnighters and continuing their specialty, The Nexxis Institute was a full time job, which kept him at a desk more and more. Nexxis relied heavily on his lieutenants Passin' Through and Blue Noise. Passin' was a cowboy who died and then was resurrected by Gabriel the Angel in 1865. Blue is a woman that can heal or hurt with the wave of her hand. The Nexus Institute is an interesting place to say the least. Nexx's mind went back to one of their newer members, now trapped in Cimerora, several hundred years in the past. Time Drifter had come in to the Institute one day in a massive red and black suit of armor. He asked to talk to Nexxis and was shown into his office.

"I know you are watching the time streams, and I have come to offer my help. I am known as Time Drifter, and for lack of a better explanation, I'm a cop.," he explained. Nexxis looked at him with a barely hidden grin.

"A cop?"

"Yes"

"A…. uh…a Time Cop?" Nexxis could not contain the giggle. He was embarrassed at his lack of control, but there was no helping it.

"Well, Jean Claude Van Dammit yer hired!" he exclaimed.

Nexxis could not see Time's face behind his helmet, and the seconds ticked by as he waited for a response. The hearty laugh caught Nexxis by surprise and echoed through the building.

"Nice one ya bastard, I had to access records for that one. I'll take the job" Time said as he shook hands with his new boss. He never elaborated on his being a cop, and avoided all questions that followed with stoic silence or the occasional unsheathing of a giant electric powered broadsword. The crew at the Institute was both wary and welcoming of the newest recruit, but Nexx knew the time would come when the stranger would reveal his true purpose here.

2.

Time Drifter let loose a war cry heard from over a mile away. His black and red broadsword, named Elizabeth, was forged and folded with aggregated diamond nanorods and electrically charged with a lithium polymer (Li-Po) battery pack specially designed to recharge itself based on the motion of the sword. Elizabeth hit the door to the Romulus hideout and splintered it to ruins. Time stepped through the hole to a mob of Roman warriors, stunned and sheathed, staring at the man in an armor suit not even invented yet.

"Go ahead boys, I don't hit unarmed men" Time said, holding to his code of honor. The traitors drew their weapons and lifted their shields. Time activated his internal power booster on his armor and swung in a wide arc, shattering the shields of the three closest men. Bloodshed, carnage, bits and bone, and severe bodily damage ensued. Time stood among the bodies and paid a silent homage to their spirits. While he took their lives, he did so for the greater good. The liberal tree-hugging stance of non-violence of his original birth time had made his youth one of constant war and slavery. His thoughts turned briefly to pictures of a country in flames, the Statue of Liberty in rubble, Dallas a radioactive hole in the ground, his friends dying all around him in The Rebellion. Time Drifter checked his mission log on the HUD in his helmet. He had been sent to stop an event in the past that would trickle down and cancel the mutation of one of Earths greatest Heroes. He was there to stop an assassination by assassination. The Irony.

Time ran down the halls at top speed, occasionally fighting, a few dead ends, and finally came upon two large doors. Nexxis had told him he would have back up shortly, but the Crystal had cracked before they could send anyone. Time was on his own and massively outnumbered. Nexxis had been worried about him going in alone, and the armor he wore wasn't indestructible, so he would watch his step. The technology did not exist to repair it yet, and he couldn't exactly go home to get more parts, as it was a prototype. He knelt down on one knee and flipped back a panel on his shin, revealing a small cord. Pulling out the cord he activated the tiny camera on the end and checked its condition. It was in working order, so he snaked it under the large double doors. Even the stoic Time Drifter blanched at the sheer amount of force gathered on the other side. "I'm a friggin dead man," he muttered. He turned the camera until he found his target. A Circle of Thorns Mage was manipulating a green flame beneath the body of a floating Cimeroran man. His mission was to kill the Mage, rescue the man, and hopefully stay alive. The life of the man above the flame was all that mattered. His body carried the mutant gene that would save the world on more than one occasion when, centuries later it would make a 14-year-old boy explode into flames and become a great Hero. The Mage's fire did not burn the man, and this was exactly why he was wanted. The Mage had come back to a people who had no defense against his magic, so he could do as he pleased. He had mesmerized his followers and made them believe he was a great wizard come to kill a monster. Time retrieved the camera and tucked it safely away in its hole. He stood and said a prayer for success. He knew the images had been uploaded to The Institute and wished they had not been. The last thing he needed to think about was Nexxis watching and having that feeling of helplessness. He grinned, knowing this may be his last moment on earth. He thought happy thoughts of Mustangs, off road trucks, 600 horsepower GT500's, naked redheads and ice cream. He could almost taste it. The ice cream, not the redhead. He kicked open the doors and all heads turned toward the sound. Elizabeth glowed bright as power surged into her. Time Drifter smiled inside his helmet.

"Howdy" he said, and launched himself into the middle of the mob.

3.

Nexx Nova, a Kheldian hero, flew high above Independence Port, searching the building tops for any sign of The Family. He had been sent by Ops to grab an Underboss to ask a few questions about why the Family had been seen talking to Ouroboros agents. When the supposed good guys start meeting in secret with the bad guys, its good to know why. He saw many people he could arrest but no one with authority. Swooping low between cargo ships he noticed several Council soldiers duck into an alley. Nova decided to follow, out of boredom more than "heroics", and came face to face with a Family-Council-Troll meeting. His white eyes glowed with alien power as he turned on his transmitter, relaying everything back to The Institute screens. His eyes burst out energy as trails of it slammed into the crowd that had been waiting for him. His hands threw blobs of bright blue bolts at the Family while the Councils bullets battered his shields. Turning to the Trolls, he ducked as a green fist missed his face by fractions of an inch. His earpiece crackled with Nexxis' voice, "Leave them, this was a recon, not a raid"

Nova focused for a second and then slammed his foot into the ground with such force that a nearby wall exploded inward. The men around him all flew up and backwards helplessly. Nova shot upward to the skies as tracer rounds from machine guns sought him out. He turned and twisted, putting on an air show. The Blue Angels had nothing on him when it came to acrobatics in the clouds. Nova's main function at The Institute was research, his specialty was studying the Kheldians past, present, and future. Ouroboros had one agent named Twilight's Son who claimed to be the last Kheldian, but an unknown source had left clues to a much more sinister reason for this than Twilight's Son had given. It was said that a powerful alien race, much more dangerous than the Rikti, had invaded earth in the future and Kheldians were their main power source. According to Twilight's Son he had escaped into the past to find a way to prevent these aliens from discovering earth and invading. This all appeared to be a truth, but mysterious notes left behind and addressed to Nexxis claimed that Twilight's Son had sold out the Kheldians and was on the run. Someone had left behind these notes knowing that Nexxis would get them, personally or from one of the agents of The Institute. Nova flew above the main bridge and spotted a mob of Family getting a lecture near a burned out hulk of steel. He floated down quietly and hovered above them.

"I told youse retahds to steal a ride for Jimmy No-Nose, not get drunk and blow up a bunch of hoopties!' said the Underboss, "Now go find a damn ride for Jimmy and bring it here!"

The crowd dispersed and the Underboss took out his cell phone. Nova reached down and grabbed the back of his suit jacket.

"What the!"

Nova shot straight up into the sky.

"We are about 30 stories up, and the air is thin, and makes holding you very difficult" Nova explained. "If I should drop you, it would not a pretty sight make my good man"

The mobster replied in expletives and curses. So Nova dropped him.

Fifteen feet from the ground the mobsters scream cut off as he was jerked to a stop.

"Tell me what I wish to know or we play Human Yo-Yo until I tire out" Nova told him.

Roughly half an hour later Nova flew out over the water in the bay.

"You have soiled yourself on one of the drops sir, it is only appropriate I return you to a clean state" Nova let go, and the mobster fell into the water. Grinning mischievously, Nova activated his Agent Retrieval Tag, or ART, and was teleported back to The Institute.

4.

Nexxis called a meeting of the remaining agents at the base beneath The Nexus Institute. Wild Blast, Blue Noise, Nexxoskeleton, Passin' Through, Southern, and Charlie Sometimes sat around the large table. Just as Nexxis was about to begin the briefing, the incoming teleport klaxon sounded. Nexxis paused to see who had returned, and Nova appeared after a moment. Just as Nova was about to report his findings the Emergency Medical Teleport klaxon blared through the building. All the agents ran down the corridor to the med bay. Temok sat on the ground as smoke billowed from his burned body. He looked up at his fellow agents and smiled a grotesque skinless grin. He stood slowing, grunting with pain as melted skin dripped from his body.

"Sit still dammit!" ordered Nexxis "Let the med-bots do some of the work, you stubborn bastard"

Temok's regenerative powers were maxed, but the skin around his face was growing back, "Let me get a smoke and a drink, and I'll be right with you boss. Damn I hate them fire throwers, prima-donna sumbitches." He gave Charlie a dirty look, and received the Finger in return. "By the way, I brought you a present, it's in the garage"

Temok stumbled off towards the kitchen as Blue Noise lifted a glowing hand and pointed at his back. Temok's back arched as his skin was healed in seconds by Blue's powers. He turned and winked at her, "Thanks toots, but that don't mean I owe you no Temok Love" He resumed his search for booze. Blue grunted and the glow in her hands went from green to blue as power surged down her arms. Nexxis took hold of her shoulder and said "Let it go Blue, he is necessary." He turned to Passin' "Find out what he tried to commit suicide for, please?" The dead cowboy turned and walked towards the garage as the rest of them went back into the office. Nova started talking as they took their seats.

"The Family has been extremely forthcoming with their information. Apparently, it is not just Heroes recruited to do missions for Ouroboros, but Villains as well. The Family, Trolls, Council, KoA…. all of them."

"Crap, the Knives of Artemis?" asked Wild, "They usually stick to themselves, what do they have to do with time travel?"

Southern grunted, "For such hot chicks, they sure do make it painful to be near them"

Wild glanced at the young man with the heavy southern drawl, "You know, if you didn't call them Hot Chicks, maybe they wouldn't keep trying to stab you?"

"Point taken" Southern laughed. The screen behind Nexxis powered on and Passin' Through's white skull filled the screen. Since dead cowboys with a skull for a face don't talk, he simply pointed behind him. All eyes fell on the glowing green Fire and Ice Crystal floating in the garage, and Nexx didn't hesitate for a second. He never even turned as he yelled "Blue, Nexxoskeleton, GO!" As the healer and the fighter ran out to the crystal, Nexxis laughed out loud. "Temok, you devious little bastard"

5.

Time Drifter grunted as a broadsword impacted on the back of his head. He was more exhausted then he could ever remember being. His armor was holding, but his left arm had broken and he was sure he had a concussion, his bio-suit already having clean the vomit inside his helmet. He blocked another sword thrust and slashed out, but missed completely, his swings now slow and uncoordinated. He took another blow to his back that sent him to a knee. The Centurions swarmed him, and he felt his ankle break under their combined weight. He gave a halfhearted bellow and shoved up on his one good ankle. The soldiers flew backwards and Time fell to his ass. He heard the soft thwack of human flesh being pierced and was puzzled, sure that his suit was not breached. He looked up at the soldiers looming above him and saw large bone shards protruding from their chests.

"Get off yer ass and do something, bum!" shouted Nexxoskeleton, rushing by and stabbing two more Centurions. Time smiled and felt a familiar rush as his bones mended and his cuts healed. He felt his stamina surge as Blue Noise pointed her fingers and sent energy directly into his adrenal glands, essentially giving his body the rest of eight hours sleep in an instant.

"Pile Up Blue!" yelled Nexxo as he ran into a corner of the room. Blue turned to the crowd of Romans and opened her mouth. Her 6'9" frame shuddered as she expelled her breath in an ear-bursting shout. The sound waves slammed into the mob and they flew off their feet, landing in a heap on top of Nexxoskeleton. Seconds later, the mob was airborne again as Nexxo exploded in a shower of needle sharp bones. "Love that shit" he commented, as the next set of bones popped out of his skin. Nexxoseleton's mutation could grow bone fragments, small or large, and either protrude from his body as a weapon of defense, or he could shoot them from his wrists like bullets. When he concentrated, he could expel the shards from his whole body in one blast. He liked to call it his "Deadliest Fart in The World"

The Mage had been watching with pleasure as the lone hero had taken a beating, although impressed as the number of men had been whittled down to half by one man. Now the appearance of two more heroes had fired an urgency to complete the ritual, the extraction of the mutant gene in the Cimeroran. He turned back to the man in the fire and began his incantation once again. As he chanted, the sounds of battle were distracting and he mispronounced words, forcing him to start over. When a body flew over his head and knocked his headdress off, he turned in anger and threw blasts of fire towards the heroes. Blue Noise was knocked back into a wall and Nexxo leaped to the right, out of the path of flames.

"Concentrate on the Mage, I have the rest" ordered Time Drifter. Nexxo and Blue moved in a wide circle around the group of men getting slaughtered by Time. Nexxo tossed four quick shards at the Mage but they bounced off magical aura he had conjured to defend himself. Blue focused on his aura and opened her mouth. Rising and lowering her sound pitch rapidly changed the waves hitting the aura, and it finally shimmered slightly. Having worked with Blue for a long time, Nexxo knew his opening and took it. Leaping high into the air, he landed next to the Mage and hugged him tight before the Mage could make a move.

"Hello Sweetums!" Nexxo exploded in bones.

The mage dropped to the ground in a dead heap, the guttural sounds of his last chant oozing out of his mouth with the blood. With the Mage dead, the mesmerized Centurions woke from their hypnosis. Time Drifter was able to stop his sword mid-swing, and readied himself in case the warriors wanted revenge. The men stood around and looked at the carnage, trying to sort out what had taken place. The largest man in the group stepped forward and said something in a strange language. Time Drifter looked down at his translator and saw it had been smashed in the fight. Blue walked over and spoke to the man. "Roman, you and your men were taken hostage and controlled by the dead magician lying there. We are deeply sorry for the loss of your troops, but we had to stop him."

The warrior looked at her for a long moment, at his men, and finally at Time Drifter. Time stood close to Blue so he could hear her translator.

"You have fought with honor Giant One, and you have given my men a good death in battle." He looked at Blue, "You have healed my wounded and I am grateful, we will take our leave"

Time Drifter pounded his chest once with a closed fist and pointed at the Romans. They slammed the flat side of their blades once on their shields in response and left in a single file line.

"What the hell was that?" asked Nexxoskeleton.

"In short, it was 'Yer A Badass' and a sign of respect to fine warriors" replied Time Drifter. Blue glanced at the man in the armor, still unsure of why he was helping The Institute. "I didn't know you knew Roman customs, care to elaborate?" she queried.

"I get around" was all he would say.

Blue sighed and walked over to the unconscious man near the Mage. She felt his body with her mind, and saw he was unharmed. Picking the smaller man up with ease and laying him over her shoulder, the trio of heroes walked back through the building to the smashed door. Blue Noise laid the man gently against a rock, with soft grass under his legs.

"He'll be fine. Let's get back, I think Nova had some bad news," she said. Time Drifter activated the remote to the Crystal and they vanished in a yellow flash of light.

Nexxis saw Time Drifter walk through the door to his office and relief swept through him. In the short few months since their first meeting, Time had become one of his closest friends. It was an odd friendship, Nexx didn't even know Times real name, but it was a true friendship nonetheless.

"I hear you were sitting around, drinking, having a lazy old time on an island while my agents were fighting" Nexxis accused.

"Yeah, so?" countered Time, "It's not like The Institute offers vacation pay you cheapskate!"

The men clasped hands and held on for a long moment. "Thought you were a goner bro, thought I would never get to hear "The Story" Nexxis said quietly.

"Shit, I almost was, if Blue and Nexxo hadn't come in right then, I was done. I had keyed in the first 3 digits of my self-destruct system in the armor"

Nexxis studied Time Drifter for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to inquire into his past again. Instead, he focused on his own.

"You know, there are some days I just can't wait to get home. I'm not from Earth you know, not even close. I came from a very distant planet, Nexxis is actually the name of it, I just took the name so people would know it was an honorable one" Nexxis said.

Time eased back in his chair, "I had no idea, I thought the glowing purple eyes was a Canadian thing"

Nexxis laughed, "I was sent here by my people to learn about Earth and her ways. To become a great Hero! A Champion! I am a King you know?"

Time just shook his helmet slowly. Nexxis opened a crystalline box and offered it to Time. Inside were long cylinders that could only be some kind of alien cigar. Time tapped his faceplate, and Nexxis laughed loudly. "I had to try buddy, I had to"

"I am to lead my people when I return. Did you know I am only an infant? I am a mere 142 years old" Nexxis shook his head, "I have the strangest urge to shit my pants and cry"

Time's helmet suddenly made a clamping noise, as if internal slides were shut, and an oxygen pump started. "You may proceed, sir"

"You are a first class asshole"

"Duly noted boss, duly noted" Time answered chuckling. "There are things you need to see Nexx, and your people are going to bring you handwritten notes soon." The seriousness in Times voice made Nexxis sit up straighter in his chair. The subject change had been so abrupt he had thought he was going to hear a joke.

"These notes will guide you down a path that you can not avoid. You must make decisions, leadership choices. People _will _die Nexx. Do not let it be in vain." Time stood up and started for the door.

Nexxis shot out of his seat and challenged Time Drifter, "You come in here, and no one knows who you are or where you're from, and you do nothing but kill people, blow shit up and say a bunch of cryptic mumbo jumbo no one understands!" Nexx's glowing eyes went from purple to almost black. "It's starting to piss me off Time. I have to look out for the people under my command, and if you are withholding information that can save their lives, you had better start sharing it."

Time paused for a moment by the door, "Such are the troubles of a King. Your first decision is at hand"

Nexx sighed, "What in the hell does…." The beeping com unit on his desk interrupted his sentence. Nexxis turned to answer it and heard Time slip away. Answering the call, Nexx activated the large screen in front of his desk.

"Talk to me Winter," Nexx prompted.

Winter Claw was an oddity among The Institute, having the ears of a cat and long, deadly claws that protruded from his hands. Winter was a geneticist attempting to prove or disprove the "nine lives" myth in cats, when he discovered that they in fact did not have nine lives. They had a regenerative gene that allowed them to lie dormant, almost a kind of hibernation, and then wake up. This explained the phenomenon of always seeing the same cat years later. Winter produced an experimental formula codenamed C.A.T.N.I.P, which he ingested in the basement of The Institute. The next morning researchers found Winter sitting on Nexxis' desk drinking milk. The offices were torn to shreds and claw marks were left everywhere. Winter had cat ears and a light covering of fur, and long claws protruding from his hands. He then moved from research into a position on the Rapid Response Team.

"I have been outsourcing myself to Ouroboros as you ordered boss, and I have something for you…." Winter uploaded an image into his PDA and sent it to Nexx. "This was in an envelope with your name on it."

Nexxis called up the transmission on his main screen. It was in a hastily written scribble:

"Hello. Please forgive the impersonal form of communication. I do not yet trust you for an in-person meeting; this was the only way that I could be sure you would still receive this message. Time travel does unpredictable things to electronics, magic and bionetics; otherwise, I would have chosen a more contemporary method. Obviously, we both know that you have begun time traveling. This may be new to you, but for me and mine it is well documented.

Ouroboros has made its presence known to your city, likely espousing some rhetoric regarding a 'rapture' or an 'apocalypse' or some other vague, well-crafted phrase from 'Mender Silos'. I am writing to tell you not to trust him or his Menders. They claim to 'fix' the time stream to avoid a cataclysmic event in the future, but do not believe them. You may not believe me yet, that is fine, prudent in fact, but let me ask you this: if there is truly an event of this nature on the horizon, why did they not take you there? Are you not one of the chosen keepers of the secret? Have you stopped to ask what secret they are really guarding?

I warn you: do not openly question Ouroboros. That would be foolish. I simply ask that you search for more of my letters and seek me in the pillar. When the time is right, I will make myself known. You will either be at my side, tearing down the enclave or you will be buried under its ruins as it falls into the sea. The choice is yours."

Nexxis bolted out of the room, hollering commands into his communicator. "Security! Stop Time Drifter, All Agents you are ordered to apprehend Time Drifter immediately!"

The building was searched top to bottom, crevice to mouse hole with no sign of the man. Nexxis radioed Teller outside. Her sniper scope picked up nothing as other reports came in across Steel Canyon with negative contact. The man in the big red armor had simply vanished. The Ops center registered no use of the Crystal, the security systems detected no stealth activation, and the psychics in The Institute could detect Time Drifter.

"A man does not simply vanish in a building full of super powered heroes people!" Nexxis was both furious and confused. He was trying to remain calm in front of his teams as his fury built.

"He hinted that his suits' technology was far advanced Nexx, maybe we cant read his stealth signature?" offered Teller, stationed outside on a nearby roof. She loved her rotations on Sniper Detail. Teller was half human, part Tiger, and part something she only growls about when questioned. A high perch, a high-powered rifle, and some root beer, and she was in heaven.

"Teller, find him" Nexxis ordered.

Teller acknowledged the order with a single burst of static on her com and packed up her rifle and gear. She returned to the Institute's stockroom and loaded up on rations, knowing her commanders orders meant she would be hitting every time stream possible. This was exactly her element, as her tracking and shooting abilities outclassed any human and most heroes. She was created for just this purpose, but she had a disagreement with her "parents" and promptly disappeared. She found Nexxis and decided he was alright for now, so long as she didn't get bored. She went to the Crystal and programmed the time and places she would "slip" to. Ignoring the technicians and their advice about proper procedure and gear, Teller touched the Crystal and vanished.

In the operations center, or as Nexxis liked to call the War Room, the remaining members sat around brainstorming, putting together all they had on Time Drifter, his missions, his trips through the portal, his living quarters. Blue called up all the information they had stockpiled on the large screen at the head of the desk.

"We know he took room 116 but according to security vids he had no personal gear, nor did he sleep there," Blue began putting the information in order and dissecting it for the others, "We know he was never seen with any personal gear and never seen without his helmet. He has never set foot in the cafeteria, nor has he been seen eating. So we can assume his suit has either a liquid dispenser, a built in nutrient supply, or a full blown Star Trek synthesizer." An instant message came in from the techs in charge of the Crystal. "Look at this Nexx, he never used the Crystal, not once" she said, her heart rate rising. Nexx walked over, "How do we know, did we take 'glove prints' or something?"

"Don't get all pissy boss, we have video showing him reaching out, but never actually touching the Crystal" Blue replied. The War Room com chirped and Wild Blast tapped the button, "Go ahead Palace, we're all here"

Palace Imp appeared onscreen with one sword over her right shoulder, and a 5th Column soldier impaled and struggling from the long katana in her left hand. The Nazi was trying to slide himself off the end of the blade, but Palace paid him no attention. "I found something you might want to se Nexx, it was addressed to you"

Wild grimaced, "Uh, Palace, you forgot something…" Palace lifted an eyebrow in confusion, and then seemed to notice the weight on her blade. "Oh, sorry WB, hang on…" Palace Imp moved her left blade to just behind her where a solid wall of rock loomed. Slamming the blade into the wall, the soldier still impaled, she told him, "Hang around, I'll be right back" Wild Blast lunged from the chair and disappeared in the direction of the restroom. Palace giggled. "Anyway, i'm sending this to you, and then ill clean up here. Imp out." Nexxis' gut had clenched when he heard her say there was another letter, but his curiosity outweighed his anger.

"Onscreen"

The old paper again, yellowed with age appeared.

"Nexxis, did you even think that you were the one who ordered the demise of the 5th Column? When I first learned this, I was equally surprised. I never believed that you had the conviction to see it through, given the moral ambiguities. I underestimated you then, something I've made a point to never do again.

I feel that you should know the truth behind Lazarus if you plan to continue working for him. Mender Lazarus is a lunatic, driven completely mad, not by his extensive time traveling (as they would have you believe), but because of his "research" into temporal alterations. He meddles with time in ways that others wouldn't even consider. He has a shared temporal consciousness with his other selves throughout the time stream. He has even "volunteered" versions of himself to send off into the abyss to see what lies beyond. I wonder if he has eyes into the afterlife itself. The goggles that Silos made for Lazarus do more than hide the creatures from beyond time, they may well block visions from beyond the veil.

This is a dangerous group you ally yourself with, Nexxis. Be wary. Be wise. Be willing to act.

Look for my letters and travel well"

"What the hell is going on Nexx?" asked Blue Noise. Nexxis looked around the table of Heroes and reflected on how he met each one, recruited them to be his mentors, friends, cohorts in shaping this world. Nexxis made a snap decision and turned to his team.

"We are going to find every single letter out there, and we are going to solve this puzzle. I have decided that Time Drifter is in need of our help and we will exhaust every last resource we have to assist our friend," Nexx looked around the table, "Does anyone disagree?"

Every Hero at the table stood as one and met Nexxis' gaze. Nexx felt his chest swell with pride and began issuing orders as fast as they could listen. The whole Institute was suddenly alive with rushing bodies, Heroes running in all directions and technicians attempting to keep up. The teleportation pads almost overheated as teams ported out to Ouroboros to do missions, looking for more cryptic notes left for Nexxis.

Nexxis waited for 4 days and he finally had his letters. He laid them out on his desk, five in all, and studied them. They said many confusing things, revealed little, and only served to distort any rational thoughts he could come up with. The letters told him of an impending doom, but not when. They told him not to trust anyone, but not why. They told him about Twilight's Son and his act of treachery, but not to whom his betrayal benefitted. Lastly, the author even suggested he may have written the letters himself, a future Nexxis.

Temok walked into the office and asked for a private word. He shut the door and turned to Nexxis,

"I just have a few thoughts on this whole thing boss," Temok began. Nexxis picked up the letters and turned to his safe to secure them. An explosion of pain ripped up his spine as Temok's kick sent him airborne. He slammed into the wall and bounced back onto his desk. Nexxis tried to turn to the threat but Temok kicked him in the jaw, spinning him on the desk. The scrapper dropped several axe kicks onto Nexxis' chest and stomach, taking the aliens breath away.

"Sorry boss, its just business" Temok commented, sweeping Nexx's legs as he tried to stand up. Nexxis struggled against blacking out during the sudden onslaught, blasting holes in his own office as he tried to track Temok. The energy from his hands crackled and burst into walls as Temok danced away from the streams, kicking and punching the dazed Nexxis, his blood beginning to coat the office as it flew with each strike. Temok landed several more punches that put Nexxis on the floor, and then stood over his leader.

"Its like this mang, I got paid some cash, more than I ever seen, to end yer ass," Temok explained, "You was getting too close to the truth or something, I don't know, I forgot to listen, ha ha, I was staring at that payday!"

Nexxis laid on the floor, trying to feel his body and judge the damage. If he had been human, his back would be broken and he was hoping Temok had forgotten that fact. His spine was several inches thicker than human bone, and Nexx did not move, playing the role to the best of his ability. Temok stared hard at his former employer, gauging the mans condition.

"I gotta say, you was a good boss, but I just had to take that cash man, I just had to!" Temok confessed. He moved ever closer. Nexxis rolled onto his side and coiled, trying to look like a fetal position of pain. Temok lunged for him and Nexxis rolled. Up onto his knees and kneeling for balance, Nexxis unleashed a massive energy ball that blew out the side of the building. The Institute shook as the outer wall blasted into the streets 3 stories below. Nexxis realized too late that his acting job was a bad one, as Temok had feinted in and bounced back so quickly he was only singed. Temok let loose a kick that dislocated Nexxis' left knee and sent him back onto the floor. He closed his eyes to the pain and felt Temok's foot press down on his throat. Nexxis opened his eyes and met his assassin's glare.

"Do it asshole, but I'm taking you with me!" Nexx yelled. He charged up his fists with bright blue orbs of energy as Temok's foot lifted for the crushing blow. In that split second before it came down, Nexxis caught a slight glimmer, like a shadow, above them. Warm blood splashed onto his face and he froze, letting the energy drain from his hands. Temok looked down at him, and his eyes moved to the massive black and red sword protruding from his chest. Nexxis moved on his good leg and hands and scooted away from the man, waiting to see the outcome. Temok closed his eyes and muttered a curse word, and breathed his last breath as he slid forward to the ground with a thump. The floating sword shimmered and disappeared again as the doors to Nexxis' office caught fire and exploded. His team of heroes rushed in and searched for targets, finding only Nexxis and a dead Temok.

"Wait, all of you wait, and stand down," Nexxis ordered, "Do absolutely nothing, no matter what you see or feel"

Blue Noise helped him to his desk and he leaned back on the cherry wood surface. He tried to sense the presence, and could not.

"Come out, you are safe, we will not attack, you have my word" Nexxis said loudly.

The voice came from nowhere, soft and deep, "It is not your attack I fear, only your misunderstanding" Behind Wild Blast the air shimmered and Time Drifter stood in his red and black armor, "I fear your hate and your distrust, but never your attack my friend"

The Nexus Institute heroes spun as a group and faced the possible threat. Time Drifter looked at Temok on the floor and shook his head, his helmet moving slowly, as if extremely heavy.

"He was a good man under that greed," Time said to himself. He turned to the heroes and stood quietly, waiting for their next move. Blue Noise put her hands out to calm her team, and urged Time Drifter to explain the death of their teammate. Nexxis answered first, "He attacked me, tried to kill me and Time finished him off" The others turned to their leader in shock. "Maybe we should have some coffee Time, maybe learn a few things"

Time Drifter turned to where the door used to be and walked into the conference room. The others followed as Nexxis radioed for the street to be cleaned up and assigned his Public Relations office to contact the police with explanations. As he limped to the conference table, Wild began healing him. He finally sat down rested and renewed. The table was full of heroes as Time Drifter stood near the opposite end. He faced Nexxis and activated his armor's rest mode. The red and black plates slid inward and upward, down and in circles, collapsing in on itself until it disappeared into a wristband on Time's arm. Before them stood a young man with scars on his face, dark hair, and dressed in an old fashioned outfit, remeniscent of an old spaghetti westerns and Clint Eastwood.

"I am going to tell you a story, and you may not believe it, but you must. I have come here to stop the future. I am have come to be the end of the beginning of the 'coming storm' you have heard of through Ouroboros. I have come to change everything, and I am Earth's only hope," Time stated matter-of-factly, "It will be condensed, for we don't have much time, no pun intended." He sat in the chair at the opposite end of Nexxis and took a sip of coffee that had shimmered onto the table. He did not explain where it came from, and the others waited quietly.

Time began.

Time was born on December 1st, 2316 in Gun Barrel City, Texas in a roadside café that had been converted to government housing. The world was at war and many states were either empty of life, or still on fire. The majority of the west coast remained, but Texas was the last of the southern states to survive the onslaught from the aliens. Florida was obliterated in the first wave, due to the military ships and bases in the Gulf of Mexico. Washington was gone and the government spent its time trying to regroup under a mountain in Colorado. The only reason they were alive was due to a group of Heroes who could move faster than the eye could follow. When the alien spacecrafts appeared on radar, the world thought the Rikti had returned, and the Earth thought is was ready. The speed-powered super-humans grabbed every person in the government buildings, threw them over their shoulders, and ran towards the mountains before the first Space-to-Land beam was fired. The world's heroes and militaries went to war with the aliens. It was the Rikti invasion all over again, but this time, the enemy was much more powerful. The aliens seemed to have an insider's knowledge of the humans and their defenses and tactics, and even the strength and weaknesses of the Heroes. Nearly half of all Heroes were killed in concentrated attacks in the first week. Several of the elder's in the Super Groups and Hero Coalitions formed new fight patterns and defensive tactics in hurried, secretive meetings, and shared their findings with the governments and generals. The Kheldians were hit hardest of all, but not in outright killings. Scores of alien troops, clad in bright blue and yellow armor, teleported down to the surface and immediately sought out the symbiotic species. Great care was taken to capture them alive, even at the cost of the alien soldiers themselves. For two decades, no one knew the purpose of their importance.

At the age of 7, Time was shot for the first time by looters looking for food. At the age of 16 he had been stabbed four times. This was not an unusual occurrence in the Hazard Zones. With the government in the Rockies to the west, and the battle to save America in the north and east, Texas was waging its own war against the refugees from the east coast flooding across its borders. Time learned from a very young age to handle a gun, and everything he picked up was a weapon. In 2331, at the age of fifteen, Time joined the newly resurrected Texas Rangers. Texas had almost lost its fight against the aliens and the sudden influx of survivors. The saviors of the Lone Star State were a surprise return of the Gunslingers, a group of human and super-human shooters that were native to the Dallas area, returning from the war against the aliens. The Gunslingers roamed the lands with the old ways, teaching young men to handle pistols and six-shooters, since cowardly politicians had confiscated all of the newer laze-guns in 2303. The older bullets and projectile guns had been hidden away or sold as antiques to collectors. In November of 2335 The Gunslingers decided to make their teachings an official office of the State, and the Governor of Texas agreed. The Texas Rangers rode once again. His training was long and painful, his days full of fighting and shooting, becoming one of the top in the class. His weapons instructor was a Hero named Timed Charge, a moniker Time Drifter copied to honor him. Timed Charge took a liking to the tall, joking young man and tried to teach him everything he knew. Soon, Time was the honor graduate and left the school in Austin to patrol the rougher counties in the east. Life was dangerous and filled with death and combat. If it wasn't savage and starving bands of humans he was fighting, it was alien soldiers and their endless technology. The Rangers patrolled all over Texas and kept her alive, even as Oklahoma and Kansas fell to the deadly beams of the alien's warships.

On December 7th, 2336, the War had hit its Twenty-year mark. The Heroes and Earth's defenses countered the alien's weapons and soldiers and the two adversaries had battled to almost a draw. The Earth was mostly in ruins, with whole countries gone and oceans vaporized and mountains flattened. The American government had never recovered its leadership and the Joint Chiefs of Staff were running what was left of the country, fighting amongst themselves for power while trying to fight the war outside. Texas decided it could no longer wait for leadership and seceded, declaring itself a sovereign entity. The President of Texas called the leader of the Rangers into his office and held private council with several Rangers and the Republic of Texas Army generals. Two days later a rider was dispatched to east Texas to find the Ranger known as Drifter and summon him to the capital. Upon their return, the men went into the Grey House to meet with the President. A decision had been made to infiltrate an alien spacecraft. They reasoned if America wouldn't do it, Texas would. The Gunslingers had fewer qualms about killing than the normal Heroes of the war did, and were given the duty to handpick the strike force. Drifter was the first on the list and was given operation control of the team. After a rushed mock insertion in a secretly built replica of the spacecraft, they knew they were as ready as they could, since no one had actually seen the inside of one. The New Gunslingers took out in the dark of night and rode for 6 days to the hottest war zone. The plan was both incredible and inconceivable at once. A man named Dark Watcher had appeared out of thin air five weeks before and told Timed Charge of a secret alien base in Old Louisiana. Dark Watcher also told him of an experimental suit of armor they were working on to outfit their soldiers. Taking alien technology and combining it with Earth technology to make a suit unbeatable by both factions would almost guarantee a victory for the alien aggressors. Dark Watcher handed Timed Charge the actual blueprints for the base, and thus began a suicidal mission and a new hope for humans.

The battle was brief and bloody, as its creators assumed the base impregnable. The New Gunslingers took no prisoners during their search for the armor. When they finally found the black and red suit, Drifter was given the responsibility of attempting to wear it and learn its functions. Once outfitted, Drifter took the next 3 days learning how to move and communicate with the suit. On the fourth day, the aliens attacked the base in an attempt to retrieve the suit. Drifter had learned enough about it to meet the enemy in battle, and had even gotten some practice with the suits glowing red energy sword. Drifter fought valiantly, and the aliens seemed to have thousands of soldiers, an endless supply of teleporting blue and yellow battle suits incessantly attacking him. Drifter was surrounded by aliens, and watched in horror as his Gunslingers fell, one by one. He fought desperately to save them, but when the last body fell, Drifter was alone. He swallowed his grief and studied the suit with a new fervor. He finally found what seemed to be a homing beacon, which he activated in the hopes of more aliens to kill. To his shock, he was teleported to their command ship in high orbit around Earth.

Drifter found himself standing against the back wall of the bridge on the command ship. Banks of smaller readout screens flanked the massive screen at the front of the room. The Captain's stand was simple and functional, and was placed next to a glowing crystal embedded in the floor. The aliens, who looked exactly like humans, were busily going about their duties and failed to notice the new arrival. The helmet he wore uplinked with the ship's computers and poured a slew of information into his heads up display. The names of the crew in front of him suddenly appeared above their heads, along with their rank and last name of their House. Drifter was watching the scrolling readout when he felt eyes on him. He looked up to see the entire bridge crew staring at him. No one moved for what was seconds, but seemed hours, then one of the men pulled his weapon, and Drifter's new sword appeared in his hand. The slaughter was quick and efficient, and soon Drifter was alone in the room with the crystal. He turned back to the screens and wondered out loud, "Who are these people? How did this begin?" The uplink to his helmet answered him with all the information he would need. Drifter began to understand and was trying to decide on a course of action when the doors in the back of the bridge exploded inward. Drifter told his armor a date and touched the crystal, and disappeared.

Nexxis stared at the table, trying to comprehend everything he had heard. He looked up at Time and offered a small uncomfortable grin. The others seated around the massive table whispered to each other, offering conclusions, guesses, and more questions as Time's sudden silence grew heavy on their ears. Nexxis stared hard at Time's faceplate, and finally voiced what was in all of their heads, "So you came here then?" he said, "to do what?"

Time stood up, and backed away from the table slowly. "The coming of the storm, Nexxis, the Ouroboros speak of it and your team fights against it but they fail!" Time Drifter paced near the large Holoscreen. "You stand around trying to figure out useless clues from letters left to you by traitors and evil men, while the fate of my world hangs in the balance of indecision!" Nexxis put up his hands in a calming gesture, "Time, bro, you need to calm down, we are trying to understand what is going on here to the best of our ability and you are, just a tiny bit, freaking me out!" Nexx yelled. He walked around the end of the table and stopped a short distance from the time traveler.

"Now quit babbling on about stuff we don't understand and makes some damn sense so we can help you my friend, otherwise, yer starting to piss me off" Nexxis stated with finality. To his surprise, Time Drifter chuckled. "There is the tone fit for King Nexx my friend," he said. Time Drifter faced the table and placed his hands at the small of his back. "I came here to kill the person who destroyed my world, killed 300 million innocent people, and annihilated an entire planet of Kheldians to use as fuel! I have to stop him here, in this time, in this place where he is vulnerable before his powers grow too strong for me." Time Drifter's voice cracked with emotion. Nexxis put his hand on his closest friends arm, and said, "Tell us who it is and we will fight beside you! We will rise up against this tyranny and end a lifetime of suffering! We will fight as brothers! Tell me his name!"

Time Drifter looked at Nexxis. "It is you"

Nexxis stumbled back a few steps, awestruck at the statement. His reaction was twofold, for his hands began to glow blue with energy to defend himself at the same time his eyes became twin flames of blue heat as his emotions ran wild. The men and women around the table leapt up and flooded the meeting room with their protests. Several drew weapons to defend their leader while others yelled for calm. Time Drifter turned to see Southern had come to stand behind him. "I'm just standin' here to make sure no one gets hurt Drift, you or him" Southern assured him. Time knew that his suit, futuristic or not, could be crushed to a pulp by the young heroes super strength. Finally, a strong voice brought everyone to a stand still.

"STOP!" Nexxis yelled, "Take your seats, if I was to be killed it would have happened already. Time, it is true, the House of Nexx is clad in the blue and yellow, and it is true that we have known of Kheldians as a source of fuel, but we have made peace with them! Nexx Nova, my own brother is a symbiote, sent to live with them and learn their ways as a peace offering!" Time Drifter stood stoically and silent, waiting. Nexxis continued his attempt to rationalize why this could not be true; "Everything I have done on Earth has been to learn to lead my people in peace. I will be a fair ruler, a strong defender, and an irreplaceable ally, so why do you think it was me? You have stood beside me for 6 months and have become my closest confidante, my greatest friend, you MUST know me enough to know that I could not do these things?"

Time Drifter patted Southern on the shoulder, "Go sit down buddy, I intend no harm today." Southern smiled, and moved not an inch. Time simply nodded and turned back to Nexxis, "I saw you Nexx, I saw your eyes when you blew the doors on the bridge and lunged for me. They were pure evil. You may not be that man now, but you become him. So I came to the beginning to see for myself. You are right, you are a great and honorable man, but something happens somewhere, and we have to find out what!"

Nexxis put his hand on Drifter's shoulder, "We will find out together, you and me and the Institute. Your new Gunslinger family!"

Time looked at the table of friends he had made and wanted to tell them he was sorry for what he had put them through, "Look, I'm…."

The wall behind Nexxis exploded inward and launched the alien over Time Drifter and into Southern. A massive hand made of gold armor was sticking through the hole and closed around Time, pulling him out of the building.

Teller let out a long burst from her rifle and yelled "Nemesis!"

Nexxis let loose a battle cry and jumped through the side of the building after his friend.  
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.......to be continued if reviewed. Basically, if people hate it, why put them through the pain of the second half, LOL


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